Boebert blames abortions for the falling birth rate, but data disputes her

Despite the overturn of Roe vs. Wade, Lauren Bobert still blames abortions for the falling birth rate. Her claims during a hearing on immigration law were highly misleading, data suggests.

Overlooking what’s important

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During the hearing, Boebert said, “Of course, it is [the birth rate falling] … we have nearly one million abortions in our country a year.” The Colorado representative added, “If that’s an issue, well, then we need to address that; if we want an incline in our birth rate, well, let’s look at our own country first.”

From immigration to abortions

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The Democratic lawmakers argued that immigration benefits economic growth, while Boebert suggested that more US babies would be a preferable choice. This is when she called out abortion, though the issues regarding birth are far more complex than the Colorado lawmaker asserted.

The number of abortions was correct three years ago

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Around 900,000 abortions were performed in 2020, The Guttmacher Institute reported. However, in 2021, that number was approximately 626,000, but more importantly, these numbers show a decline in abortions compared to the 90s.

How to get an abortion?

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Following the Roe vs. Wade’s fall in 2022, many states banned abortions almost entirely. A recent case of Kate Cox from Texas showed just how strict the rules are and raised further concerns about the value of a woman’s life.

The decline is a global issue

Boebert’s anti-abortion rhetoric aside, there has been a decline in births in Europe and the US in the past three decades, and the reasons vary. Similar trends were noticed in China, Japan, and Thailand. The birth rate has steadily declined in the USA since the Great Depression, though the last decades proved to be the most challenging.

People are having fewer children

In the 1950s, people in the US had three children on average. Today, it is around 1.6 children. There are various issues on the table, from contraceptives to the economy, paid maternity leave, and people choosing to marry later (if at all.)

People have better things to do

Talking to Vox, Philip Cohen, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland, said that the “opportunity cost” of having children is more significant today and added, “People, especially women, have more lucrative things to do.”

Most people cited money as a reason to have fewer or no children

A staggering 64 percent admitted that their decisions regarding more or at least one child come from childcare costs. This came from The New York Times polling in 2018, and nothing suggests things will get better, regardless of how people feel about having kids.

Scaring women into giving birth

The issue of raising child became even more politicized in recent years. Senator J. D. Vance, a Republican, attacked the “childless left” for culture wars. He also slammed Vice President Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, calling them “childless cat ladies.”

Attacking women with careers

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Talking to Tucker Carlson, Vance said, “We are effectively run in the country, via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable.” But Vance is not the only politician who used women’s right to give birth (or not) to make them look to undermine their successes.

Never forget

Boebert said last year how she became a mom of four. In a House Oversight and Accountability hearing, the Colorado firebrand explained how she declined to pay for birth control and added, “It’s cheaper to have a kid.” According to Forbes, the cost of childbirth in the US is almost $19,000 on average. In 2023, CBS News reported that the average cost of raising a child to 18 was $240,000, not including college. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood notes that a month’s supply of birth control can cost about $50, but is free with many insurance plans.

Adding human fetuses to the endangered species list

In another stunt, Boebert brought photographs of human fetuses to the Endangered Species Act hearing. She argued, “For far too long, the Endangered Species Act has been weaponized by extremist environmentalists to obstruct common sense, multiple-use activities that they disagree with.”